Photographer Rodrigo Bressane Colorized Famous Old Photos Using Google’s New AI Tool and the Results Are Jaw Dropping

John Summers • Contributor

Aug 29, 2025 9:00 PM EDT

Every now and then a new AI tool drops and everyone scrambles to test it on the weirdest prompts possible (I'm guilty too). But sometimes, someone actually does something that feels… important. Photographer Rodrigo Bressane decided to feed Google's brand-new AI model - officially called Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, but affectionately nicknamed Nano Banana - a bunch of famous old black-and-white photos. He asked it to colorize them. And the results? Absolutely stunning.

We're talking iconic photos that we've only ever seen in shades of gray, suddenly brought to life with rich, natural color. It's the kind of thing that makes you do a double take - not because it looks fake, but because it looks real. For the first time, you can see history as if it happened yesterday. Imagine what this could mean for old family albums sitting in a box somewhere, or forgotten archives waiting to be rediscovered.

Google just unveiled Gemini 2.5 Flash Image last week, and yes, this is the same "Nano Banana" model that quietly went viral before launch. Beyond colorizing, it can edit photos, swap outfits, generate avatars that actually look like you, and even drop new furniture into your living room without changing the vibe.

But this? Breathing new life into history? That feels like magic.

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via Dorothea Lange
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via Dorothea Lange, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Ron Galella
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via Ron Galella , Rodrigo Bressane
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via Alfred Eisenstaedt
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via Alfred Eisenstaedt, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Yousuf Karsh
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via Yousuf Karsh, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Richard Avedon
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via Richard Avedon, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Charles C. Ebbets
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via Charles C. Ebbets, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Charles Levy
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via Charles Levy, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Joe Rosenthal
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via Joe Rosenthal, Rodrigo Bressane

It changed the flag!
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via Margaret Bourke-White
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via Margaret Bourke-White, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Arthur Sasse
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via Arthur Sasse, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Mathew Brady
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via Mathew Brady, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Henri Cartier-Bresson
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via Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Cindy Sherman
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via Cindy Sherman, Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane
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via Rodrigo Bressane

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Photographer Rodrigo Bressane Colorized Famous Old Photos Using Google’s New AI Tool and the Results Are Jaw Dropping

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